Teen's Death From Football Game Injury Raises Safety Issues

Maria Alicia Gaura, Julie N. Lynem, Chronicle Staff Writers

Published
4:00 am PDT, Thursday, October 21, 1999

1999-10-21 04:00:00 PDT SAN JOSE -- The death of a 15-year-old San Jose high school football player is reverberating throughout the Bay Area sports world, already abuzz over the professional fate of injured 49ers quarterback Steve Young.

The death also is bringing increased attention to school safety policies.

A month before, Joseph had received a mild concussion at a game, leading to speculation that he may have been allowed to return to play too soon.

But school officials investigating the incident have concluded that safety policies were followed and that Joseph's death may prove to be an unavoidable tragedy. The death was the first football-related death in the district.

"We have looked at every aspect, from the training of the players to the effectiveness of the protective equipment to the application of first aid," said Maureen Davidson, spokeswoman for the San Jose Unified School District. "It's clear that not only did everyone follow procedures correctly, but they acted caringly and responsibly.

"No one will know what caused the blood clot," Davidson added. "It could have been dislodged by just horsing around."

Joseph's initial injury occurred during a September 18 game, Davidson said. A blow to the head caused his vision to blur and gave him headaches, but at the time the symptoms did not seem serious enough to report them to the coach. Joseph told his parents, however, and a family doctor told Joseph to sit out for a week.

The same doctor later gave the youngster written permission to play again, and Joseph played two games before the October 16 accident. During that third game, Joseph, a linebacker, collided head-on with another player during the third quarter, walked to the sidelines and collapsed.

A certified athletic trainer hired by the district immediately attended to the youth, and paramedics were summoned. However, Joseph never regained consciousness.

In addition to having an athletic trainer present at all games, football players at Pioneer use helmets, pads and safety equipment of the same quality as is used by the NFL, Davidson said. Players are trained to use safer methods of tackling one another, and coaches constantly review safety issues, she said.

Bay Area schools have varying regulations on the presence of medically trained personnel at football games:

-- Football games are not allowed in the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District unless a doctor is present.

-- At Acalanes Union High in Lafayette, both a doctor and a certified athletic trainer must be present on the sidelines during football games. Injured students must be cleared by a doctor and trainer before being allowed to resume play.

-- The Peninsula Athletic League, which includes about a dozen San Mateo County schools, requires that a doctor or emergency medical technician be present at all games.

-- Junior varsity and varsity football games in Oakland Unified School District must be staffed by medical personnel. Players who are knocked unconscious or appear to be unconscious must receive written permission from a physician before resuming play.

"We're trying to urge the state Department of Education to do injury summaries so that we'll know what the injury rate is," he said.

Lang said the organization also encourages school districts to hire certified trainers, which they are not required to do, although some do voluntarily.

"From our point of view, we don't understand how schools can have athletic programs and not have a certified athletic trainer," said Lang.

Sports deaths due to head injuries are rare, but take place almost every year, according to Stephen Rice, a sports medicine specialist at the Jersey Shore Medical Center. Between 1977 and 1992, an average of six such deaths per year occurred nationwide, Rice said.

Repeated concussions not only affect memory and intellectual functions, they also can result in "second impact syndrome," a swift and often fatal swelling of the brain. When a brain injury, even a mild concussion, has not been allowed to heal, a subsequent impact can cause rapid swelling and death. In such cases, medical treatment rarely helps, Rice said.

"The message to take home is that head injuries must always be treated seriously," Rice said.

Joseph's family announced yesterday that the youngster's organs have been donated to several recipients and that a memorial fund will be set up to assist the school's athletic department and the school band, in which Joseph played the saxophone.

"The family wants to focus on the good that can come from this tragedy," said Salvador Guerrero, spokesman for the California Transplant Donor Network.

MEMORIAL FUND

Contributions to the Joseph Barajas Memorial Fund may be sent to Pioneer High School, 1290 Blossom Hill Road, San Jose, CA 95118. Please specify whether the donation should go to the high school's football or band program.